Last week, I returned from speaking at the first ever TEDWomen in Washington, DC, an incredible honor for me. My talk was titled The Power of Cartoons, and I discussed how visual humor has the power to not only transform the artist herself, but reach across borders. I was also given the opportunity to curate an exhibit for the conference. The show was international cartoonists responding to the statement, “The Folly, Fun and Flexibility of Women.” I contacted eighteen cartoonists from around the globe and they graciously sent me wonderful artwork. These artists are internationally known and their voices are important.

The show was incredibly well received, as I got numerous comments from attenders at the conference about how interesting, beautiful and inspiring the artwork was. Here are the cartoons and cartoonists bios:

Xia Lichuan is the professional cartoonist of Caijing Magazine (the business& finance Review) in Beijing, China. Her artwork and cartoons have been awarded and exhibited in many countries. She is the exclusive Chinese member of Cartooning for Peace based in Paris. Ms. Lichuan lives in China.

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Ana von Rebeur is a cartoonist and journalist, author of more than 30 books published in all Latin American countries and Spain. She works in radio and television and is the author of comedies for theatre. Ms. von Rebeur is a member of Cartooning for Peace, Cartoonist´s Rights Network and she is president of the Argentinian branch of the Federation of Cartooning Organizations (FECO). The recipient of twelve international cartoon awards she also has juried many international cartoon contests and festivals in Brazil, China, Bosnia, etc. Ms. von Rebeur lives in Argentina.

Catherine Beaunez is of the rare women cartoonists in France. Ms. Beaunez works as free-lancer for Marianne, Le Nouvel Observateur, L’Humanité, Dagens Nyheter, l’Ecole des parents. She is also the author of comics-strips about relations between women and men in private life and politics ( Mes partouzes, Vive la carotte !, Je suis une nature, Liberté chérie, On les aura !). She lives in Paris.

Andrzej Krauzewas born in Poland, andisan illustrator, cartoonist, poster designer. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, he worked in Poland for weeklies such as Szpilki and Kultura and a publishing house Czytelnik, who published three collections of his drawings. Mr. Krauze’s work is also published in The Times, The Independent on Sunday, The Sunday Telegraph, The Observer, The Economist, The New York Times and The Guardian. In 2001 he began publishing regularly in Rzeczpospolita, a leading Polish daily newspaper. He is a regular contributor to New Scientist, The Bookseller, The Jewish Chronicle, Nowy Czas (Londom), The Scientist (Philadelphia), Internazionale (Rome), Courrier International and Medecine/Sciences (Paris). Mr. Krauze is the recipient of numerous satirical awards in Poland and elsewhere, notably Victoria and Albert Museum’s Award for illustration, and the United Nations Correspondent’s Association Ranan Lurie Political Cartoon Award. He lives in London.

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Ann Telnaes’ animated editorial cartoons regularly appear on The Washington Post’s website. Her first book, “Humor’s Edge”, was published by Pomegranate Press and the Library of Congress in 2004. A collection of Vice President Cheney cartoons, “Dick”, was self-published by Telnaes in 2006. Her work has also been exhibited in Paris, Jerusalem, and Lisbon. Ms. Telnaes is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning and The National Press Foundation’s Berryman Award. Her television and radio appearances include The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, C-Span, NPR, and BBC radio. Ms. Telnaes is a member of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, the National Cartoonists Society, The International Women’s Forum, and the American Newswomen’s Club. She lives in Washington, DC.

Battì Manfruelli, has been a professional cartoonist since 1975, and publishes social and political cartoons in newspapers and magazines. Internationally recognized, he creates press cartoons, caricatures, book illustration, comic strips, and advertising sculpture. Today his works appear in leading Corsican publications such as “Corsica”, “Donne”, “Sportcorse”. Mr. Manfruelli just published the sixth album of his cartoons, called “Reflexion.” He lives in Corsica.

Caroline Rutz (Caro) is a regular cartoonist with the Swiss economic publication, PME, where she comments on national and international topics. Ms. Rutz studied graphic arts at the Ecole d’Arts Visuels in Bienne. She has worked as a press cartoonist for the Bieler Tagblatt and the Journal du Jura, the Francophone daily. Working for these publications she has developed an understanding of the two cultures (German and French) as well as her journalistic view: that a press cartoon can carry an important message. Ms. Rutz regularly shows her work at press exhibitions and festivals. She lives in Switzerland.

Cathy Wilcox grew up in Sydney, Australia and studied Visual Communications at Sydney College of the Arts. She has been drawing cartoons and illustrations regularly for the Sydney Morning Herald since 1989, and now also draws editorial cartoons for the Sun-Herald. Ms. Wilcox received several Stanley Awards from the Australian Cartoonists Association, a Walkley Award and in 2009 was awarded the National Museum of Australia’s Political Cartooning award. She has published two collections of cartoons, Throw Away Lines and The Bad Guys are Winning. Since 1988 she has illustrated 20 children’s books, one of which she also wrote. She lives in Australia.

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Firoozeh Mozaffari was born in Tehran, Iran where she received her BA from the Faculty of Fine Arts University. Her cartoons appear in numerous newspapers in Iran such as Hamshahri, Shargh and Tehran Emroz. Ms. Mozaffari is a member of the executive committee of the Tehran International Cartoon Biennial, and she herself has received numerous awards for her art. She lives in Iran.

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Hana Hajjar studied at the Saudi Center for Fine Arts and currently works as a cartoonist for the newspaper Arab News. Ms. Hajjar is a member of the Assembly of Painters and Cartoonists Arabia, and she also teaches workshops and classes in painting and cartooning to young people. Her cartoons appear in many other newspapers and magazines in her country and have been exhibited widely. Among her many awards are an honor from the Ministry of Culture, and Princess Latifa Bint Thunayan al-Saud. She lives in Saudi Arabia.

Hassan Karimzadeh is a political cartoonist, graphic designer and director of art for newspapers and journals around the world. He is professional member of Iranian Graphic Designers Society & International Council of Graphic Design Associations and the Association of International Journalists. Mr. Karimzadeh is a member of “Cartooning for Peace” and in 2007 was given the title “F.U.N” (Friend of United Nations) from United Nations. In addition to collections of his work, Hassan has published many cartoon books such as: “Human Rights“, “Hooz “ and”A book of Portraits“. He is recipient of the many awards in different countries such as China, Portugal, Turkey, Italy, Iran, and Cyprus. Mr. Karimzadeh is chairman of “Hich” graphic studio, art advisor of some Persian publishers and is Art Director of persiancartoon.com (filtered now by the government!). He lives in Iran.

Michel Kichka is a cartoonist, illustrator, and lecturer at Bezalel. He was born in Belgium and is the son of Holocaust survivors. Several times a year he travels with high school classes to Auschwitz as a Shoah witness. Author of several books, this year he began to work on a graphic novel based on his childhood memories. Mr. Kichka says creating and cartooning is his “raison d’être” and that being a member of Cartooning for Peace is a rare privilege. For him, teaching is a mission, in the secular sense of the word. He lives in Israel. (portrait by Tomohisa Ichiki)

Mikhail Zlatkovsky was born in Moscow and graduated from Moscow Nuclear Research University. Mr. Zlatkovsky is a free-lance artist in the fields of cartooning, newspaper and magazines illustrations and poster design. He is the recipient of 240 international awards, including the Knight of the Legion of Honor, France. He lives in Russia.

Pierre Kroll’s presence as a social and political cartoonist and commentator is ubiquitous in French speaking Belgium. His drawings appear daily in the Belgian newspaper Le Soir and weekly in the magazine Cinétérevue. His work on television producing on the spot live drawings for the political debates on the RTBF is celebrated by many. His commentaries are followed almost daily on the radio. Numerous books of his books are been published. For twenty five years his intelligent, sometimes irreverent, occasionally unmerciful humor has enlivened and enlightened public discourse of Belgian and international affairs. He lives in Belgium.

Piyale Madre was born in Turkey and studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Grenoble, France, finishing her degree at the Department of Graphic Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul. She began her cartoon career in 1982 with a comic strip called “Picnic” in the Turkish daily, Milliyet. In 1992, Picnic was published in book form in Turkish and English. Her next comic “Adams and Eves” was published regularly and made into comic books. Both comics have been animated and shown on television. Her work has been exhibited widely around the world. She lives in Turkey.

Riber Hansson is an internationally known freelance editorial cartoonist for Swedish and international newspapers and magazines. Four collections of his political cartoons have been published, and Mr. Hansson is the recipient of the World Press Cartoons Grand Prix and Press Cartoon Europe’s Grand prix. He lives in Sweden.

TAYO Fatunla is a Nigerian cartoonist, comic artist, illustrator and caricaturist and graduate of the The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, New Jersey. He began by drawing cartoons in Nigerian newspapers and magazines and was also resident cartoonist for the London based Pan African weekly magazine, West Africa. In addition, Mr. Fatunla has published his cartoons and illustrations in school books, newspapers, magazines, and web sites on an international level including the BBC Focus On Africa magazine and the BBC World Service. Healso teaches drawing cartoons and comics. He lives in England.

Toshiko Nishida was born in Japan and graduated from the Keio Gijuku University and the Connecticut Institute of Art in U.S.A.. She worked as an illustrator and a cartoonist for magazines and newspapers such as NIKKEY WEEKLY and Mainichi Shinbun. Ms. Nishida is the recipient of seven national and four international cartoon contest prizes, including the Special Prize at the 16th Yomiuri International Cartoon Contest. She participated in numerous international cartoon exhibitions in Turkey, France, Singapore and was a jury member in Japan and China. Ms. Nishida is the Director of the Japan Cartoonists Association and lives in Japan.